


Better Three Hours Too Soon Than A Minute Too Late

by MsLetcher17



Series: New Powers, Who Dis? [1]
Category: Charmed (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Gen, Injury, Mel Centric, Very mild Hacy, new powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:22:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25394554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsLetcher17/pseuds/MsLetcher17
Summary: When Maggie is seriously hurt and Harry is unconscious Mel discovers a new power that may just save her sister’s life.
Relationships: Harry Greenwood & Mel Vera, Harry Greenwood/Macy Vaughn, Macy Vaughn & Mel Vera, Maggie Vera & Mel Vera
Series: New Powers, Who Dis? [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1839214
Comments: 10
Kudos: 21





	Better Three Hours Too Soon Than A Minute Too Late

**Author's Note:**

> When I was writing my series 'Four Movements' I had an idea for Mel to have this new power in the story 'Vision in the Dark' but it didn't fit in the story so I decided to write a new story that featured the power and here it is!  
> ***  
> The title is a William Shakespeare quote. Not sure what it's from I just googled it.   
> ***  
> This takes place in a world where they are in Seattle but they've also got their original powers back too. Try not to think too much about the background lol.   
> ***  
> Last thing there isn't graphic descriptions of violence but there is an injury and blood. If you think it needs the graphic violence tag please let me know.  
> ***   
> Hope you enjoy!

“...we banish you to the astral plane.” Mel and Macy yelled as they finished the spell to vanquish the Noxin demon for good. It was a gnarly beast. Huge and black with giant swirling horns and sharp claws.

“Oh my God Maggie!” Macy screamed and ran to their younger sister’s side. Maggie was slashed by the demon. Lying unconscious on the floor, her shirt was torn and soaked with blood. “Oh no, oh no. Harry!”

“Harry!” Mel called too as she joined Macy at Maggie’s side. When he didn’t appear she tried again, “Harry! Damn it!” 

“Where is he?!” Macy asked, her tone growing frantic. “Where did you last see him?”

“I remember seeing him…” She had to stop and think. “Downstairs! He was fighting the Noxin. He must be knocked out or something.” 

“She’s losing a lot of blood,” Macy assessed. Placing her hand on the wound she tried to apply pressure with no effect. “It won’t slow down. What do we do Mel? What do we do?”

Macy wasn’t always the best in high pressure situations so it was typically on Mel to take charge and formulate plans. But the worry she felt for her sister was slowing her thought process. Taking a breath to regroup an idea came to her. “Your powers! Do you think you can slow the bleeding with your powers?”

“I...I...don’t know,” Macy stuttered. “I’ve never done that before but I can try.” 

“Ok. You do that and I’ll go find Harry.” Mel watched as Macy raised her hands from Maggie’s stomach and squinted her eyes in concentration. The blood flow slowed but it didn’t stop completely. 

“I don’t know where all the blood is coming from so I don’t know how long this will be effective. Find Harry quick.” 

“You’re doing great. I’ll be right back.”

Mel stood, ran out the attic and down the two flights of stairs in pursuit of their wayward whitelighter. She didn’t find him in the living or dining rooms. 

“Harry!” She called his name again in hopes he would give an indication of his location. “Where the hell are you Harry?” 

Reaching the threshold to the kitchen she noticed a figure on the floor. “Oh God Harry!” 

Mel ran to his side, knelt down and checked his pulse. He was still breathing which was good. She quickly looked him over searching for any wounds but found none visible. Glancing around the kitchen she noticed the cabinet above the stove, where they kept their potion ingredients, was damaged and there was blood on it. She turned his head to the other side and saw a line of blood running from the inside of his ear. Probing the back of his head she felt a lump but no wound. She tried to open his eyelids, shook him gently, and tapped his cheek with a small amount of force. Still he didn’t stir. 

Pulling her phone from her back pocket she shot a text off to Jordan. She asked how fast he was able to get to the house. A breathless moment passed and he replied it would take him about twenty minutes. That was too long. He sent a follow up text to ask what was going on but it went unanswered as Mel pocketed her phone and turned back to her whitelighter. 

“Come on Harry,” She pleaded to his unconscious form. “You gotta wake up. Please.” 

No movement. There was no telling how long he would be out and Maggie was running out of time. They didn’t have any smelling salts and she didn’t want to hurt him trying to get him to wake. Taking off her jacket and rolling it into a ball she placed it on the floor. Gently, she moved Harry’s head on top of it. With one last glance Mel stood and ran back to the attic. 

The look in Macy’s eyes when she saw Mel was alone was enough to make her steps falter on the landing. 

“Where’s Harry?” Craning her neck to look around Mel she pleaded, “Please tell me he’s right behind you.”

“No he’s not.” Letting her feet carry her back to where her sisters were Mel stooped next to Macy and stared at Maggie. Her skin was almost white from the amount of blood she’d lost but she was still alive. “He’s out cold and I couldn’t wake him.” 

“What are we going to do now Mel?” Looking down at their injured sister Macy’s breaths were coming out in a panicked staccato beat. “I don’t know how much longer this is going to work.” 

“Hospital?” Mel offered. “Do you think we can make it?”

“Setting aside how we would explain  _ this _ to doctors,” Macy raised her eyes and met Mel’s. “Even if we were able to make it I don’t think we should move her. And I’m not sure paramedics would get here in time. Also our house is invisible.” 

“Could you use your powers to move her?” 

“I could if I wasn’t also slowing her bleeding right now. I don’t think I can do both and this isn’t the situation to experiment.”

Mel wanted to be encouraging but Macy was right. Since she wasn’t sure the exact origin of the bleeding there was no way she would be able to float their sister to the car and staunch the wound simultaneously. Filling her lungs in another deep breath to clear her mind of the panic she felt growing Mel tried to think of something, anything, that would help. 

“I have an idea.” There was one thing Mel had been thinking about for a while but she’d never had a chance to test it. 

“What? What is it?” Macy almost lost her concentration in her haste for an explanation but refocused. 

“Do you remember when you were trapped in the TV show?”

Macy’s expression morphed from focus to confusion. Rolling her eyes slightly she replied, “How could I forget? What does that have to do with this?”

“Just hear me out,” Mel reasoned. “We had to make a new batch of escape oil to get you and Harry out. But it needed two weeks to brew before it would be ready.” 

“Ok?” Macy asked in a hurried tone. 

“So when I was with Jada she taught me how to move objects forward in time and I used my powers to move the oil forward two weeks in like two seconds. Just like that it was ready for us to use.” 

“Where are you going with this?” Macy huffed growing impatient with not understanding. 

“What if I can do that to her wound?” Mel proposed. 

“Wha…?”

“What if I can speed up time around the wound?”

“Then you would close the skin and she would be bleeding internally.” Macy theorised. 

“What I mean is,” Mel sighed and considered a way to clarify her thought process. “What if I can focus on the injury and speed up time to when it’s healed?”

“It could work in theory…” Macy considered. “But…”

“But what?” Now Mel was growing restless. She had a solid idea for how to save their sister and it felt like Macy was blocking her at every turn. 

“The oil,” Macy started. “It was in a vial.”

“Ok...and…?”

“That was a sterile environment,” She explained. “This is decidedly not. What if the moving through time process is based on the current state of the object?”

“I’m not following.” It was Mel’s turn to be confused. 

“Ok, so what if you move the injury forward in time and it’s like it’s been in this attic uncovered and untreated for two weeks? Then it’s infected. Or necrotic. Then our sister has an abdomen filled with rotting flesh and we’ve just killed her faster.” Obviously that was not ideal.

“What if I don’t move the wound forward then?” Mel was a time witch. She could control her movements  _ through _ time. If she could move things forward she should, in theory, be able to move them backward too. “Two weeks ago Maggie was healthy and didn’t have a giant gash in her stomach. What if I can  _ reverse _ time around the injury to before it happened?”

“I don’t know Mel a potion is different from human flesh,” Macy looked back down at Maggie. Mel grabbed her hand. It was ice cold. “You would have to make sure you’re just reversing time on the wound and not all of Maggie. We don’t know what would happen if you make her two weeks younger.” 

“Macy,” Mel’s voice shook as she spoke. “We have no idea when Harry’s going to wake up, we can’t get her to a hospital and paramedics won’t get to us in time. What other choice do we have?”

Macy took a moment then looked back up to Mel and nodded, “You’re right. You should try it.” 

“I need my bracelet. It will help me focus my power.” 

“Do you know where it is?”

“No.” Mel glanced around the attic and shook her head. “Well I know it’s up here somewhere but I’m not sure where.” 

“Ok so all we need is to find your  _ bracelet _ .” At the end of Macy’s sentence an object flew toward them from across the room. Mel froze it just before it could clock Macy in the side of her head. Reaching out Mel plucked the object from the air and was shocked to find it was the very time bracelet they were just speaking about. 

Looking up at Macy she found the surprise she was feeling mirrored in her older sister’s face. “Did you just?”

“I don’t know what I did,” Macy cut across her question. “And it doesn’t matter. Only Maggie matters right now.” 

Sliding the bracelet onto her wrist Mel pressed the red jewel in the center and stretched her hands over Maggie’s middle. Her eyes fell closed as she focused her magic on healing the wound. Nothing happened. Squeezing her eyes tighter she tried to focus harder. Still nothing. 

Putting her hands down with a groan she looked to Macy and exclaimed, “It’s not working.” 

“What are you trying to do right now?” Mel threw her an exasperated look. “No, I mean like what are you thinking about?” 

“I want the wound to heal.” She answered in an obvious tone. 

“That makes sense but the problem is you can’t actually heal wounds,” Macy offered. “Maybe you should try being more literal.” Motioning toward Mel’s hands to prompt her to extend them over Maggie once again she continued, “Try to think of a clock in front of you then imagine yourself literally tuning the hands back.” 

“Ok,” Mel nodded and followed Macy’s instructions. In her mind she drew a clock and let it float over Maggie’s wound. Extending her hands she once again pressed the jewel on the bracelet and closed her eyes to focus. She imagined herself reaching out to the clock and spinning the minute hand counterclockwise. Suddenly she felt her magic swell and surge from her hands. It felt like light was pouring out of her. 

Daring to crack an eye open she looked down at Maggie. The blood that had pooled on the floor began to recede into her sister’s body and the gash grew smaller. 

Mel felt like she was being drained. The adrenaline of the last few hours leaving her body as she worked on her sister. Her eyes began to drift close this time from exhaustion and not concentration. Her arms started to shake. Macy, no longer needed to slow the bleeding, came behind her and helped her hold them up while she chanted words of encouragement in her ear. When the wound was about half the size the sound of Harry’s hurried footsteps tore their attention away from their task. Mel’s concentration was broken completely when he arrived in the doorway out of breath. Maggie’s wound started bleeding again but at a much slower rate. 

“Harry!” Macy exclaimed as she rose from the floor and walked to him. “You’re alright.” 

“Well my brain feels like it’s about to escape from my skull through my eye socket but I am, otherwise, unharmed.” He assured them. 

“We need you to finish healing Maggie,” Mel explained as he and Macy walked back and knelt down on the other side of the injured witch. 

“Finish?” Harry asked, confused. 

“Questions later,” Mel insisted. “Healing now.”

Extending his hand to do as he’d been told Harry completed what Mel started by restoring Maggie back to health. Seeing her sister’s eyes flutter open a small smile formed on Mel’s lips moments before she hit the ground, passed out. 

Hours later, after the best nap of Mel’s life she walked down and found her family huddled in the reading nook. Taking her normal spot on the bench next to Maggie she took a moment to smile at all of them before she asked, “Are you alright Maggie?”

“Yeah I think so. What happened?”

“Mel saved your life,” Harry answered with a smile. 

“You told me that,” Maggie responded with a roll of her eyes. “I mean how?”

“I reversed time around your wound,” Mel explained. “It’s not exactly healing but it was similar enough to keep you alive long enough for Harry to finish the job.”

“How did you come up with that?” Maggie asked, impressed. 

“The escape oil. But in reverse.” Mel explained. 

“Well done Melanie,” Harry congratulated. “Because of your quick and out of the box thinking you saved your sister’s life.” 

“Macy slowed the bleeding,” Mel shrugged in humility. “And you actually healed her.”

“Modesty is a weird look on you,” Maggie laughed. “ _ You _ saved my life. Sure Harry and Macy helped but I probably wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for you. Just accept the praise.”

“Praise accepted.” Mel conceded with a small as she patted Maggie’s hand. 

“This is a really good thing,” Macy enthused from her seat on the opposite bench. “This way we have a way to heal wounds or at least make them less severe if Harry isn’t around.”

“Hopefully you won’t need it but it may just come in handy.” Harry’s arm was around Macy and he squeezed her shoulders as he spoke. 

Standing from the bench Mel motioned toward the kitchen. “I’m starving, I'm going to make something to eat.”

“Hey Mel,” Maggie said as she grabbed her arm to stop her departure. “Thank you.” 

Mel bent down and placed a kiss on Maggie’s forehead then whispered, “Anytime.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated!


End file.
